Dancing in the Rain
by xoElle23
Summary: R/M with very minor S/S. My first try at an O.C. fanfic. What do you think? Now a THREEshot.
1. Rain

**A/N: Hey everybody! So this is my first fanfic for the OC and I'm so super excited. I just recently got addicted to it and after watching a lot of the episodes I decided to give this a shot. It's a R/M fic with minor S/S. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think!**

**This is set sometime near the end of season 3. Johnny was never a problem and never died and therefore Sadie the whore never had to stick her fat head into Newport and mess things up. Kay?**

**Disclaimer: Do you seriously think I'd have let Marissa die if I were in charge? Uh, NO.**

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"I don't know what to do."

"It's just rain, Seth."

"But we're in Newport. It never rains in Newport. I- I don't know how to function. If I go outside I could melt. The sarcastic, Jewish nerd inside of me can't take it."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's water."

"It's a freaking typhoon, Ryan!"

"So you get a little wet, what's the big deal?"

Seth sighed. "It's like you don't even know me at all."

"Hey guys!" Sandy called as he entered the front door. "Some rain, huh?"

"Father, what happened to you?"

"I got wet, son."

"Really? And how does this 'wetness' make you feel."

Sandy frowned. "Seth, stop being scary."

"Does no one understand my internal pain?"

"I don't know what you're talking about but you should know by now, honey, that we will never understand you." Kirsten announced walking into the kitchen.

"Mother, this hurts me. It's like none of you even care about my predicament."

Sandy and Kirsten turned to Ryan.

"He has to go to Summer's but he's scared of the rain." He informed them.

"I'm not scared!" Seth protested. "I just… can't go outside."

"Why don't you just call Summer and ask her to come over here?" Kirsten spoke up.

"Ah, yeah, that. Not a good idea. She's already in a bad mood because I kind of spilled coffee on her favorite blouse at school yesterday, so I'm already on thin ice."

"But if it was an accident and you offered to clean it up-"

"Yeah, good idea in theory but in reality…. Not so much. Turns out her dad got it for her on his honeymoon with the new Mrs. Roberts in Tahiti and it was one of a kind. Also extremely expensive."

Sandy let out a breath. "Well, it was nice knowin' ya."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence. And what about you Ryan, how do you plan to avoid this defective weather and yet still spend time with she who holds your heart?"

Ryan shrugged. "I'll get wet."

"He says it like it's that easy." Seth said in awe. "To just go outside and let the treacherous precipitation destroy you."

Rolling his eyes, Ryan opened the back door and headed towards the pool house. "I'll see you guys later!" he called over his shoulder.

"Be careful on the roads!" Kirsten yelled after him.

"Have fun!" Sandy added.

"Traitor!" Seth bellowed. Glancing up at Kirsten and Sandy his eyes lit up. "I have an idea."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Ryan!" Marissa yelled franticly knocking upon the pool house door. "Let me in!"

Jumping up from his bed Ryan quickly pulled the door open. "Sorry, I forgot it was locked." He apologized lightly.

"It's fine. God, it's crazy out there. I think I saw a cow fly by on my way over." She laughed. "Can I have some sweats to change into? My clothes are completely soaked."

He nodded and tossed her a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. "I'm guessing that means we're not going to the movie?"

"Only if you don't want to drown on your way to the car." She walked off towards the bathroom. "Be right back."

When she returned Ryan was in the small kitchen, his head in the refrigerator. "Okay, so I have frozen pizza, tater tots, and popsicles." He announced a minute later. "Nothing gourmet, but-"

Marissa smiled. "Perfect."

He nodded. "Okay then." While he dumped the frozen dinner onto a baking sheet and slid it into the oven, she flipped through his collection of DVDs and popped one in.

"Ten minutes." He told her flopping down on the bed.

"Sounds good. I picked out a movie."

He groaned. "Oh god, please, no more chick flicks."

"Our movie marathon last week was fun!" she exclaimed, defending the night they, Seth and Summer had joined in the Cohen's living room and watched DVDs.

"A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, The Devil Wears Prada…." He listed. "And if my memory is right, Summer tried to put in Legally Blonde at the end."

Marissa laughed. "Okay, you win. But I did make it up to you after."

"You mind refreshing my memory of that?" he asked huskily pulling her down next to him.

She giggled, pressing her lips to his for a soft kiss. Not a minute later the oven timer went off, causing them both to groan and break apart.

"You want coke or water?" Ryan asked moving back to the kitchen.

"Whichever." Marissa responded, moving over to the window. Looking through the blinds her face broke into a soft smile. "You know when I was little I can remember asking my parents if I could go out in play in the rain." She told him. "They never let me, said I would end up in the hospital with the flu. But one time when Summer spent the night and they left to go to some party, it started raining. So we put on some music and went out in the backyard and danced in the rain." She smiled at the memory. "My parents were furious when they found out and we both missed a week of school because we got so sick. But that night, before the punishment, had to have been one of the best of my life. The freedom and bliss in the simplicity of it all…. it's something I know I'll remember for the rest of my life." She laughed. "I can't believe I just told you that."

"Why not? It sounds like you had a good time." He said setting the food on the nightstand.

"I don't know, I guess it's just a weird feeling, letting you in so deep. I've never told anyone that before." She confessed.

He smirked. "Good weird feeling or bad?"

Marissa smiled. "Good; definitely good." She leaned in and kissed him again. "I'm starved, let's eat!"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

An hour or so later Ryan and Marissa lay together upon his bed, their empty plates set aside and _Talladega Nights_ playing on the TV.

"I don't know why this movie is so funny." She mused. "It's really stupid."

"But it's so stupid, it's funny." He agreed thoughtfully. "I don't know why, but there's something extremely hilarious about a guy running around a racetrack in his underwear thinking he's on fire."

Marissa laughed. "True." She stood up. "Be right back." She said heading off towards the bathroom.

Ryan laid there for a minute after hearing the door shut before an idea popped into his mind. Digging into his closet he pulled out his boom box and stuck in a CD.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Ryan? Ryan!" Marissa called confusedly as she exited the bathroom to find an empty pool house. Walking towards the doors her eyes went wide. Out in the middle of the patio, beneath the pouring rain, was Ryan. A radio sat under the covered area, their song blaring from its speakers so able to be heard over the rain.

"Ryan." She said, this time in a more touched tone. "What are you doing?"

His response was simple. "Do you want to dance?"

Taking a minute to absorb it all, she finally nodded and walked out into the downpour, accepting his outstretched hand.

"Why did you do this?" she asked once they had begun to sway to the music.

He glanced down, clearly embarrassed. "You said it was one of the best moments of your life. I just… wanted to give you that feeling again."

She grinned. "I love you."

His eyes moved up to meet hers. "I love you too."

"So we start college pretty soon." She said after a few minutes. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah, kind of. I mean the Cohen's taking me in has been the best thing to ever happen to me. It's kind of weird to think about leaving and starting over again." He admitted.

"Yeah but you won't be alone. I'll be with you every step of the way."

He smiled. "Promise?"

"I promise." She said firmly. "You're stuck with me."

"Do you want to live together? At Berkley?" he blurted out.

She froze. "Are you serious?"

"We don't have to." He backpedaled. "I mean it's probably too soon anyway and-"

"Yes."

"You'd probably rather just move into a dorm- Did you just say yes?"

Marissa smiled. "Yes, I said yes. I would love to live with you at Berkley."

His face broke into a smile. "We're moving in together." He chuckled.

"Yeah." She agreed. "We are."

They stayed outside a few minutes longer, laughing, playing, and kissing. Ending the night when he grabbed her and jumped into the pool, making no difference seeing as how they were both soaked to the bone anyway.

"So does this beat the last time you danced in the rain?" he asked finally.

She laughed. "Definitely."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The next morning Ryan awoke to the sun shining brightly and Marissa asleep next to him. Trying his hardest not to wake her, he slipped on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt before heading over to the main house.

"Mornin'." Sandy said pouring him a cup of coffee and passing him a bagel. "How was your night?"

Before Ryan got a chance to answer, Marissa walked in, her own pair of sweats on.

Sandy smirked. "Pretty good, I guess."

Marissa smiled weakly and took the breakfast he passed to her, joining Ryan and Kirsten at the table.

"I hope you're not mad." She said nervously.

Kirsten rolled her eyes playfully. "Please, if we had a problem with it we would have said something a long time ago."

"Good morning family." Seth said walking in. "Sort of family." he added upon seeing Marissa.

"How'd things go with Summer? You ever work up the courage to brave the rain?" Ryan asked.

"Oh I braved it. I conquered it and made it beg for mercy." He said heartedly.

"Look." Kirsten retrieved her digital camera and showed Ryan and Marissa a picture of Seth dressed head to toe in rain gear. Complete with a yellow rain coat and pants, galoshes, a big hat, and a red umbrella.

"Mother! I thought I told you to delete that!" Seth exclaimed as Ryan and Marissa roared with laughter.

"Oh but honey you looked so cute!"

"I did not look_ cute_."

"You looked ridiculous."

"Your comments were not asked for Ryan."

"Getting back to the point," Marissa interrupted. "Did you get over there?"

"Yes I did. And Summer was very grateful."

"Well then it was worth it." She glanced over at Ryan. "Tell them."

He raised his eyebrows. "Um, Marissa and I are going to live together at Berkley."

Sandy smiled. "Really? Good for you."

"Congratulations." Kirsten said hugging them both. "I'm so excited for you both!"

"Yeah, I think I can put up with her." Ryan said, earning a playful smack on the shoulder from his girlfriend.

"Shut up!"

He laughed. "No, in all seriousness, college looks a lot less intimidating now."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_5 years later………_

"God, can you believe we graduated college today?" Marissa said incredulously walking into the living room of their apartment. "Too bad it had to rain." Receiving no response she looked around for her boyfriend. "Ryan?"

"So, I realize this is corny." She turned around to find the sliding glass door that lead onto their small balcony open, Ryan standing outside in the rain. "And I'm not good at stuff like this. Feelings and emotions… it's not my strong suit." He was speaking loudly now, trying to be heard over the boom box in the corner and the sound of the pouring rain.

Marissa slowly walked out to join him as he continued to speak. "But I love you, Marissa. I know we've been through a lot, but despite it all, I love you." He looked at her. "Marry me."

She froze. "A-are you serious?"

He laughed. "Do you seriously think I'd be out here soaked from head to toe if I was kidding?" he pulled a small black box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a ring. "Marry me." He said again.

She laughed. "Yes. My answer is yes."

Ryan grinned and slid the ring onto her finger.

"But I have one question." She said finally. "Why are we outside in the rain?"

His response was simple. "Do you want to dance?"

**-x-**

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**So I'm currently debating between hating it and liking it. Your opinion?**


	2. Forever

**A/N: Okay, so after getting a few requests to continue with this story and having a great idea pop in my head one day, here we are! Another chapter, just for you!**

**PS- I know the OC ended in '07 but it was only a few months ago that I started watching it. I've either seen the re-runs on SoapNet or read the transcripts online, so I know what's happened. So even though it's over, it's still new for some of us. So shout outs to all of my fellow band new OC addicts! **

**Disclaimer: I can barely come up with ideas for fanfiction. You seriously think I could create a TV show? Psh. I don't own anything. This is all for my own amusement and state of mind. **

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Are your eyes closed?"

"Yes."

"You sure?"

Laughter. "Ryan, I'm wearing a blindfold."

"Promise you can't see anything?"

"I promise."

"Okay, duck your head." He gently eased her into the passenger seat of his Range Rover and helped her fasten her seatbelt before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car.

It had been almost a year since Ryan and Marissa had gotten engaged and since then they'd barely had time to breathe between wedding planning and starting their jobs. Ryan was working for a new architectural company started by Sandy's old employee Matt Ramsey, while Marissa had started working at Newport Union as a guidance counselor. With only a few weeks left until the wedding, the pressure was on and everything seemed to be happening at once.

When Ryan had announced to her earlier that week that he had a surprise for her, he realized he had made a big mistake. The past few days had been nothing but torture as she tried every trick in the book to make him spill the beans. But he somehow had managed to hold his tongue, probably because what he was doing was so big, so she was still completely clueless as to what he had planned.

"I just don't understand why I have to be blindfolded in the car." She complained once they were on the road. "Come on, one hint!"

"You have to be blindfolded because if you could see you'd figure out where we're going." Was all he said.

"That's not even a fair hint. That's was obvious."

"You never said it couldn't be obvious. You just said one hint. I gave it to you."

"Ryan!"

"Not gonna work."

"But-"

"Hey, listen. Music." He cut her off. Marissa sighed and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"Fine." She turned her head to face the window, despite not being able to see.

"Silent treatment?" he guessed. Receiving no response he nodded. "That's cool. I guess I'll just have to start singing."

"There's not enough alcohol in the world to make that happen." She mumbled.

He laughed. "Knew you couldn't stay quiet for long. Talk to me. Tell me how your day was."

"Well, I'm working with some kids and helping them decide on colleges." Marissa said finally. "A couple of them were considering Berkley and one wants to go to Brown."

"What'd you do? Tell them the horror stories from freshman year?" he teased.

"No, I showed them some pictures we had of the campus and from graduation. And I showed the girl who asked about Brown some pictures from Summer. Speaking of, you'll never believe who I met the other day. Mr. Zimmerman wanted me to talk to this kid named Chase about colleges that would be good for him and he turns out to be the biggest Seth Cohen fan in California. He has Atomic County print-outs all over his stuff and when I asked him what his dreams were, he said 'To be Seth Cohen.'"

Ryan laughed. "That's hilarious and kind of sad."

"Yeah, I told him he probably needed a back-up plan and apparently he hasn't thought about that yet."

They chatted on and off for the next while before the car came to a stop and Ryan announced that they had arrived. After helping her out of her seat he led her a few steps ahead and stood in behind her.

"I was gonna say something before I let you take off the blindfold but I'm not really good at speeches, so I'm just gonna let you see it now." He said nervously. "You ready?"

"I've been waiting for this all week." She laughed. "Yes, I'm ready."

He gently tugged at the blindfold's back and removed the black piece of cloth from her face. Marissa looked around confusedly.

"We're at the model home." She said stating the obvious. Turning to him, she shook her head. "I don't get it."

Ryan cleared his throat and walked across the yard, stopping to rest his hand on the sign sticking up. Marissa's eyes went wide when she noticed that the previous "For Sale" had been replaced with a new sign clearly reading **SOLD**.

"You didn't- I don't- You bought the model home." She sputtered. "You bought the model home for us."

"It's only a few miles away from your mom, Sandy and Kirsten, Summer and Seth's place, our jobs." He explained quickly. "If you don't like it I can get rid of it no problem. I just figured since it was so close and we-"

"It's perfect." She said in astonishment. "How did you manage this?"

Ryan shrugged. "I talked to Kirsten and Sandy and they have some pull with the Newport Group. Turns out it was never used after they rebuilt it and gave it to me for a third of the original price.

She gasped. "Ryan, that's incredible. How did you ever manage to not say anything?"

He shrugged embarrassedly. "I just wanted you to have the house you've always dreamed of."

"Well, mission accomplished." She threw her arms around him and pressed her lips firmly to his. Smiling into the kiss he wrapped his arms around her slender frame and held her tightly. A few minutes later they broke apart breathing heavily.

"You wanna see the inside?" he asked finally.

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

He laughed as she grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. The layer of dust that once covered the property was gone, as was the building supplies. Now the countertops gleamed, the floors shined, and the windows sparkled. The bedrooms had been re-painted, the electric and water now worked, and a vase of fresh flowers sat proudly upon the kitchen counter.

"It's beautiful." she whispered. "Seriously, it's move in ready."

"That was kinda the plan." He admitted. "Remember all those meetings I had these past few months?"

"You were sneaking behind my back! Ryan Atwood, how dare you!" she grinned. "Luckily, because of the reason, I'm not mad. In fact, I kind of love you for it."

"Good thing. Because I don't plan on going anywhere." He said moving to put his arms around her waist.

"You'd better not. So when are we moving in?"

"Whenever you want. That's why I already had your mom, Summer, and Kirsten pick out the colors to paint."

"You must have worked really hard." Marissa said sympathetically.

He shook his head. "Everybody helped out so it wasn't a big deal."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. See, it is a big deal. A Very. Big. Deal." She said punctuating each word with a kiss.

"Mmm well you know I can't argue with that logic." Ryan mumbled against her lips. "What do you say? You wanna christen this place or what?"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

_**A few weeks later.**_

"Are you ready for this Coop? It's your big day!"

Marissa grinned into the mirror she was currently standing at. "You know, Sum, I never thought I'd be able to say this but yeah, I am."

"You look stunning." Julie said in awe. "Now, I'm trying my hardest not to cry but I don't think it's working so well."

"Mom." Marissa sighed as she was pulled into her mother's arms. "It's okay. You're not losing me."

"I know, I know. I'm gaining Ryan and I'm happy for you, sweetie. You're just growing up so fast." Julie said tearfully. "It seems like it was just yesterday you were starting high school."

"Okay guys, you need to stop like, now. We're all going to mess up our make-up and we don't have time to re-do it." Summer announced her voice cracking. "Oh my god Coop, we're both going to be old married ladies."

"I love you, Summer." Marissa said as they embraced.

"I love you too." Summer whispered. "No matter what happens you'll always be my Coop. I'm always here for you and I'll kick Chino's ass anytime you want, okay?"

Marissa laughed. "Thanks Sum."

Pulling away and checking her make-up, Summer grinned. "So are you nervous?"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"I can't do this." Ryan announced firmly. "I just… can't."

"Ah, it's just nerves kid. You'll be fine." Sandy said easily.

Ryan shook his head. "No, I'm gonna mess it up."

"Okay, sure. So you run off and I'll find Marissa a new groom." Seth said nodding. "I can give Luke a call, or maybe DJ. Oh! I wonder if Oliver was ever let out of the mental hospital, he always seemed fond of her…"

"Seth, shut up."

"Ryan, think about it. It's your wedding day. In less than an hour you're expected to go out there and become life partners with someone. You think maybe it's just a tad late to back out? I mean, we could pull out the invisibility cloak but I'm thinking maybe Marissa will notice when she gets to the end of the aisle and is standing by herself."

"Well what am I supposed to do? I can't go out there in front of all those people."

"Okay, first of all, it's not that many people because you and Marissa don't have a lot of friends." Seth began.

"And secondly it doesn't matter how many people there are." Sandy added. "Do you love Marissa?"

Ryan nodded. "More than anything."

"Then I promise when you get out there you won't notice anybody else."

"But-"

"Don't question it." Seth said. "Just trust him."

"What if I forget what I'm supposed to say?"

Seth grinned. "I'm there for ya, buddy." He pulled out two index cards from his pocket and handed them to Ryan. "Summer's doing the same thing for Marissa, so don't say it's stupid."

"Sorry to interrupt." Kirsten said poking her head in. "But we're almost ready to start and I wanted to have a quick word with Ryan."

"We'll be in the hall." Sandy said nodding and leading Seth outside.

Kirsten smiled and walked over somewhat apprehensively. "You nervous?" she asked softly.

Ryan sighed. "Oh, you have no idea."

"Well don't be. I know you, Ryan, and if you really didn't want to do this you would have ran long before now. You stick with the people you care for and I know you care for Marissa more than you do yourself. So trust me when I say that I know you will be just fine." she leaned over and pulled him into a hug. "I can't believe after today both of my son's will be married." She whispered.

"You know if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here right now." He said quietly

She pulled back to look at him fully. "Ryan, you know that's-"

"No. Let me finish." Kirsten nodded and he continued. "If it wasn't for you and Sandy and Seth taking me in… god knows where I'd be right now. Chino, jail, dead." He let out a breath. "I just wanted to say thanks. You guys… you saved my life."

"The feeling is mutual." Seth said walking back in. "Sorry, you know I had to eavesdrop."

Kirsten rolled her eyes. "Sandy, get in here."

"Guilty as charged." Her husband said walking in, his hands raised. "But Seth's right. While you didn't make things any easier, you sure as hell made them better."

"You were my first friend." Seth added. "And because of you I now have some that aren't of the plastic horse variety. Speaking of, Princess Sparkle and Captain Oats are sitting front and center next to The Nana to watch their little Ryan become a man."

"I thought I was a man at the Barmitzvah."

"Chrismukkah Barmitzvakuh, don't screw the name up. And you were, but this is like step two."

"We love you Ryan." Kirsten said.

Seth smiled. "I'm thinking it's time for a family hug. Come on; don't tell me you don't feel it too. Come on."

Ryan rolled his eyes but nonetheless joined the small embrace.

Kirsten let out a breath once they'd pulled away. "Okay, it's time. You ready?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah. I am now."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Ryan took a deep breath as he took his place at the front of the church, feeling the presence of Seth and Sandy behind him. He and Marissa had never been big on religion but both were Christian by birth, so they'd decided to go with a simple, classic wedding.

Kirsten and Julie had gone all out for the event. Making sure to give everything a very simplistic but elegant look, the event was themed with red roses and white dressings; the occasional spot of silver or black here and there to pop, but nothing too fancy or tacky.

Looking out before him Ryan began to find familiar faces in the pews. Kirsten sat in the front row, along with his mother, Julie, Frank, Bullit, and The Nana. Near the back he noticed Trey, who had been released from prison a few years earlier, but had chosen to keep his distance until he was sure he could change. Taylor Townsend was sitting with her mother, Anna was there, and he saw Teresa sitting with someone unfamiliar, her mom, and Arturo in a far corner.

He caught her eye and nodded slightly. She smiled and gave him a strong look. She had made it clear long ago that she realized he and Marissa belonged together and she refused to stand in the way of it. Since then she had found a man she loved and was happy with. And while she and Ryan didn't see each other often, they knew and accepted that their chapter had ended long before he'd left for Newport. They had moved on and found true happiness elsewhere.

Tearing his eyes away from the familiar faces Ryan glanced to the back as music started up. First down the aisle was Kaitlin, followed by Summer, and finally Marissa appeared on her father's arm. His breath caught in his throat and for a moment, he was sure his heart had stopped.

She was beautiful. Sandy had been right; everyone else in the room seemed to melt away as she descended towards him. At last she made it to the front and her hand was placed in his by her father who then returned to his seat.

"You look- I mean-" he muttered stupidly.

Marissa nodded. "You too."

So this is what forever felt like.

**End.**

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N: Well, what did you think? Did you guess the surprise correctly? Did you like it? Press the pretty button and make me happy! **


	3. Test

**A/N: I know, I know. I keep saying this is the last chapter when it never is. But I keep getting ideas to add on! So this is now a three shot! TA-DA!**

**-x-**

The silence was deafening.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._ They really needed to get that sink fixed.

A nervous breath was let out.

"Coop?" Summer Cohen walked cautiously into the bathroom. "What does it say?"

Marissa shook her head. "I can't look."

"Oh." The brunette nodded. "Do you… want me to?"

"Yeah, I think that would be best."

"Okay." Summer grabbed the white stick sitting on the base of the sink and looked up. "You ready?"

Marissa shook her head. "No. But tell me anyway."

"Coop…" the soft tone in her best friend's voice made her look up. "You're gonna be a mommy."

"Oh my god." The words slipped from her lips quickly. "Don't tell Ryan."

Summer's eyes widened. "What? Why not? He's gonna be so excited!"

"No, he's going to freak out!"

"You're crazy! He won't freak out."

"He will." Marissa said firmly. "And I can't handle that right now."

"Marissa," the use of her first name made the blonde look up to see her friend's face solemn. "You're pregnant. And Ryan is going to be happy and you guys are going to have a beautiful child together. You have to trust me on this one."

Marissa sighed. "You can't tell him yet; Or Seth, or anyone for that matter. Especially not Seth."

"But Coop-"

"I'm going to tell him. I just need some time to figure out how. Promise me you won't say anything Sum."

Her friend frowned. "Fine, I promise. But I don't like it."

**-x-**

"So then I said 'No that's not possible because Superman's ultimate weakness is-' Ryan? Hello?"

Ryan Atwood was immediately sucked back into reality by snapping of his best friend/ brother's fingers in his face.

"Dude, you completely spaced out on me." Seth complained.

Ryan glanced around the café they had met at for lunch. "Sorry. I just… have a lot on my mind."

Seth's eyebrows rose. "Do share."

He paused tentatively for a second. "I found this last night in the garbage can." He said passing the object over.

"Okay…. It's a pregnancy test." Seth stated obviously. "And I'm guessing the little plus sign means it's positive."

"Yeah, I got that part."

"Then what the hell am I holding this pee stick for?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Summer was over hanging out with Marissa yesterday-"

"And you don't know whose it is." Seth finished. "Well it's not Summer's."

"What? How do you know that?"

"She started her period this morning. I know because she came in and was yelling about how men are all jackasses and how Mother Nature is the spawn of Satan; Oh, and because she said it was my fault she ran out of tampons. Although she did act really weird when she got home last night."

"So…. This means…"

"Congratulations dude."

"Marissa's pregnant." Ryan said slowly. "Oh my god."

Seth frowned. "Uh-oh. I know that face. That's the ever-so-rare Ryan Atwood scared face."

"She's pregnant, Seth." He snapped. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Noticing that they were now attracting attention, Seth grabbed his arm and led him outside to a nearby bench. "Okay, first of all you're going to calm down. You and Marissa have been married for over three years now; you have a house, a steady income, plenty of room, jobs. Not to mention the fact that you two are still solid and honeymoon-ish. Ryan," he looked him in the eye. "It's gonna be fine. In fact, it'll be great."

"Then why hasn't she told me?"

Seth shrugged. "She's probably just as scared as you are."

Ryan put his head in his hands for a moment, thinking. "I can't do it. I can't be a father."

"Why the hell not?"

"I- I'd screw up." He said weakly. "I mean I grew up in Chino! I got in fistfights all the time; I had no parents to look up to. I'd mess this kid up so badly and then it and Marissa would hate me."

They were both quiet for a minute before Seth responded. "You know my dad always told me that everyone has a father and a mother. You know, the X and Y chromosomes of your creation. But not everyone has a mom and dad. Because the moms' and dads' are the ones you can look up to. The one's who support you and love you and make sure you're happy." He shrugged. "You have both. I mean sure, your father may be in jail and your mother might be… god knows where. But your mom and dad are a few miles away. And they're the ones that helped make you a better person."

Instantly a picture of Sandy and Kirsten popped into Ryan's mind. Seth was right. His biological parents were never his real parents; he had accepted this a long time ago. But Sandy and Kirsten… they were his family. And it was because of them that he was the person he was. If they hadn't taken him in and given him a chance… everything would be different.

"You learned from our parents." Seth continued. "You're like them, not Dawn and Frank. And you're gonna be an awesome dad."

Ryan stood up. "Thanks man."

"No problem. God knows you've helped me through my share of problems, now I finally got one up on you." He patted Ryan's shoulder. "Now go talk to your wife."

**-x-**

"Marissa?" His voice carried as he entered the Model Home. It was strange that even after living there for almost three years everyone still called it that.

"Marissa?"

"Ryan?" her response finally came. "I'm up here."

He followed the sound of her voice up the staircase to find her lying on top of the made up bed.

"I thought you said you were hanging out with Seth this afternoon." She said giving him a peck on the lips.

"I was but… I needed to talk to you."

She nodded somewhat nervously. "Okay, shoot."

Wordlessly Ryan set the pregnancy test on the bed between them and stared at her.

Marissa closed her eyes. "Dammit." She whispered.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked quietly.

She glanced down at her hands, as if the words would appear there. "Soon. I just didn't know how."

Ryan nodded understandingly. "Well… since it's out in the open now…"

"We need to talk about it." She finished.

"I know we've talked about kids before-"

"But it was always so far in the future-"

"And now it's not." They sat in silence for a minute before he gave a small smile. "It would be kinda cool though, a little bit of me and you combined."

"Yeah. The perfect mix of each of us." She sighed. "I'm scared."

"Me too."

"We haven't had the best role models to look up to."

"And we've made plenty of mistakes."

"That's definitely true." She agreed. "But I'm glad you know."

He nodded and took her hand. "Me too."

She let out a breath. "So what now?"

He thought about it. "I think now we celebrate."

Marissa glanced up to meet his eyes. "Do you really think we can do this?"

"I think it'll be hard. But if we stick together, yeah, I think so. And since I don't ever plan on leaving…"

"I guess we'll make it." She grinned. "We're having a baby." She said gently.

They're faces broke into simultaneous grins. Ryan grabbed her around the waist, kissing her hard and passionately, and twirled her around, causing a squeal to escape from her mouth.

"You're pregnant!" He repeated.

"I'm planning the shower!"

"He's a man!" Summer and Seth both yelled rushing in.

Ryan and Marissa looked up incredulously.

"How in the hell-"

"Summer called and spilled the beans right after you left." Seth explained. "We've sort of been listening out in the hall since you got here."

"Cohen shut up! You're not supposed to give away everything!" Summer exclaimed smacking his arm.

"Ow! Woman, that hurt!"

"Good!" she turned to Marissa. "Coop you're gonna have your own little family!"

"Summer and I can move in and be nannies." Seth added.

…..

"Um thanks for the offer Seth, but-"

"Not a chance in hell."

**-x-**


End file.
